History · Year 1

Active learning ideas

The History of Our School Building

Active learning builds memory and curiosity in six- and seven-year-olds when history connects to their daily lives. When children handle real photographs, move sticky notes on timelines, and step outside to notice changes, they see how places grow and adapt over time, not just in books.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: History - Changes within living memory
• KS1: History - Local history

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Photo Sort: Then and Now Timeline

Gather old school photos and recent ones. In small groups, pupils sort them into a class timeline on the floor, discussing clues like clothing or buildings. Add labels with help from an adult.

How old do you think our school building is, and what makes you think that?

Facilitation Tip

During Photo Sort, group students in threes so they must agree on one difference and one similarity before placing the photos on the timeline.

What to look for

Show students two photographs of the school, one from the past and one current. Ask them to point to one thing that looks different and one thing that looks the same. Record their responses.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 45 min · Pairs

Interview Chain: Community Voices

Prepare simple question cards like 'What did the playground look like?' Pupils interview school staff or visitors in pairs, record answers with drawings, then share in a whole-class chain.

What do you notice about how our school has changed over time?

Facilitation Tip

For Interview Chain, model one question with a guest so children see how to follow up and say thank you.

What to look for

Gather students and ask: 'Imagine you are a child attending our school 50 years ago. What is one thing you might do differently during playtime compared to today?' Listen for responses that connect to observed changes.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 03

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 25 min · Whole Class

School Walkabout: Spot the Changes

Lead a guided tour of the school grounds. Pupils sketch or note differences between current features and old photos, then discuss in groups what might have caused changes.

What do you think learning at our school might have been like a long time ago?

Facilitation Tip

On the School Walkabout, give each pair a simple checklist: one thing that looks older, one thing that looks newer, and one question they want to ask later.

What to look for

Give each student a piece of paper. Ask them to draw one part of the school building that they think is very old and label it. Alternatively, they can draw one change they learned about.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 04

• Inside-Outside Circle
• 35 min · Pairs

Role-Play: A Day in Old School

Use props from photos for pupils to act out past school routines individually or in pairs. Groups perform and explain one change they learned about.

How old do you think our school building is, and what makes you think that?

What to look for

Show students two photographs of the school, one from the past and one current. Ask them to point to one thing that looks different and one thing that looks the same. Record their responses.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers approach this unit by anchoring each lesson in concrete objects: photographs to touch, walls to touch, and people to listen to. Avoid abstract timelines at this stage; instead, use sticky notes and floor spaces so children physically build sequences. Research shows that movement and oral rehearsal before writing help young children grasp chronology. Keep questions open-ended and focus on observable details rather than dates.

Successful learning looks like children confidently noting differences and similarities between old and new photos, sharing what they learned from community voices, and pointing to specific features on the school walk that show change. They should begin to use words like ‘older,’ ‘newer,’ and ‘changed’ accurately when talking about the building.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Photo Sort, watch for pupils who assume the older photo must look worse or smaller because they expect ‘old’ to mean ‘not good.’

  Guide them to compare specific features like window shapes or door handles, and ask: ‘What do we use these for today?’ to highlight functional continuity.

• During Interview Chain, some children may treat the past as entirely separate from now.

  After each interview, have the speaker and child stand together holding a ‘then’ and ‘now’ object to show overlap in use, such as a bell or playground ball.

• During School Walkabout, learners may believe all changes happened suddenly around the same time.

  Give each pair sticky notes labeled ‘old,’ ‘new,’ and ‘maybe older’ to sort features on the walk, forcing them to notice layers of change rather than one big shift.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inside-Outside Circle